Lotus Sect Leader’s judgment was correct, and Xiao An’s wasn’t wrong either. Just as dusk settled, a carriage emerged from the back gate of the Crown Prince’s residence.
The carriage was covered with a black canopy, so it was impossible to tell what was inside. Two horses followed behind the carriage. The carriage turned left and right down a small alley, finally arriving at the East Gate. The coachman whispered a few words to the soldiers guarding the gate, flashed his waist token, and then drove out.
About ten li outside the city, there was a mass grave by the roadside.
After the carriage stopped, the two people on horseback jumped down. The three of them fussed around the carriage for a while, then pulled out a burlap sack.
Next, they took out a shovel from the carriage and walked a few steps to the side of the road. With a clinking sound, they dug a hole and then threw the sack in. They then hastily covered it with a bit of soil and returned.
The three men drove the carriage or rode the horses, quickly departing.
In the darkness, Lotus Sect Leader was about to signal her people to pursue and capture these three men, when suddenly her gaze shifted. She saw figures flashing in the distance, and then, surprisingly, someone carrying tools was heading towards the mass grave.
These people, with swift movements, dug up the sack that had just been buried, then loaded it onto the carriage and sped away.
Lotus Sect Leader smiled slightly. This was getting interesting.
She immediately ordered her disciple, Jasmine, to take her people and track the grave-digging group, finding an opportunity to capture them.
She herself would lead the others to pursue the carriage in front.
The carriage in front wasn’t moving fast. The two men on horseback didn’t seem in a hurry either, trailing the carriage leisurely, talking in low voices as they went.
Suddenly, one of them seemed to sense something amiss and turned his head to look behind them for a long time.
“Brother, I keep feeling like someone is following him.”
The other chuckled. “You’re just feeling guilty. Who would be following us? Besides, people from the Crown Prince’s residence aren’t afraid of that.”
Before he finished speaking, they heard the sound of fabric rustling by their ears.
Before they could react, they were struck heavily on the back of their necks and immediately fell unconscious.
The coachman in front also sensed that something was wrong. Why had the commotion behind them suddenly stopped? As he turned his head, he heard two thuds. Something had been thrown into the black canopy.
He quickly reined in the horses and lifted the curtain to get a clear look. At that moment, he too received a heavy blow and lost consciousness.
This turned out to be fortunate; it was easier to just fall into it.
Lotus Sect Leader climbed into the carriage and, without haste, turned its direction to rendezvous with Jasmine and her group.
By this time, Jasmine had already captured the grave-digging group and was interrogating them.
It was better not to ask. Once they started questioning, Jasmine was also terrified.
Seeing Lotus Sect Leader return, she quickly ran forward, “Master, we… we’ve stirred up big trouble. Those people are from the palace!”
Lotus Sect Leader snorted, “So what if they’re from the palace? We’re looking for people from the palace.”
“Tie them all up. We must leave here as soon as possible.”
Lotus Sect Leader, with her disciples escorting the captives, marched onward for about another five li. To the side were several abandoned houses. This used to be a post station that had since been abandoned.
Lotus Sect Leader pointed, and Jasmine, understanding, immediately led her people forward to begin clearing the area.
Although the post station had been abandoned for some time, it was often inhabited by homeless beggars and the like. Therefore, despite its disrepair, it wasn’t difficult to manage. A simple cleaning would suffice for a temporary resting place.
After starting a fire and resting for a while, Lotus Sect Leader waved her hand. Her subordinates carried the three people from the carriage inside.
Waking one of them, Lotus Sect Leader immediately pressed her long sword against his neck.
“Who did you bury?”
The man trembled and replied, “I… I don’t know. It was the Crown Prince who sent us, he just said to dig a hole and bury them anywhere.”
Lotus Sect Leader increased the pressure of her hand, the sword tip drawing blood from the man’s neck. “If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll kill you!”
“Great hero, I’m telling the truth! I really don’t know who he is, I don’t know who he is!”
After questioning him twice, the man still said he didn’t know. Lotus Sect Leader believed him.
She waved her hand for him to be taken away and brought in the next person.
After questioning all three, none of them knew who the deceased was.
Therefore, the next step was to interrogate the grave-diggers from the palace.
These men were also clueless about the identity of the deceased.
“We don’t know that either. We just received orders to secretly monitor the Crown Prince’s residence, quickly dig out whatever they buried, and then deliver it to the Zhang Family Village in West Mountain.”
“Are there any eunuchs in your palace whose hometown is Zhang Family Village?”
The man shook his head. “Very few people talk about their lives before entering the palace. Even if some do, it’s often a lie.”
Lotus Sect Leader nodded. This was quite normal, just like many of their disciples used aliases when they were outside.
Since they didn’t know the true identity, she had to change her line of questioning. “Then let me ask you, in the past few days, which eunuch in your palace has gone missing.”
“Yes, it was Xiao De Zi. He suddenly disappeared.”
Lotus Sect Leader nodded, patted the man’s shoulder. “Alright, you’re an honest person. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you, but I’ll have to ask you to stay somewhere for a while.”
With that, Lotus Sect Leader knocked the man unconscious again and then called for Jasmine and the others, driving the carriage forward.
Another thirty li ahead was a small hill called Niutou Ridge. There were caves on Niutou Ridge, which they had thoroughly scouted before.
Within a radius of ten li of Niutou Ridge, there were no villages. It was truly a place where no one lived, rarely frequented by people. If someone were hidden there, they wouldn’t be discovered for some time.
Besides, it didn’t matter if they were discovered. She would have already finished her business by then.
Taking advantage of the night, Lotus Sect Leader returned to Wannian City and went directly to find Princess Zhao Ning.
It was past the second watch.
Princess Zhao Ning was in her study, reading.
However, it was clear she wasn’t suited for reading. After only a few lines, she slapped her desk. Then, she let out a sigh.
At this moment, she suddenly heard a few light knocks on the windowpane.
Hearing the movement, Princess Zhao Ning reacted quickly, immediately darting to the side and hiding behind a screen. Then she asked, “Who is it?”
“Not bad, your vigilance is quite high!” Lotus Sect Leader couldn’t help but praise.
Hearing this, Princess Zhao Ning was both surprised and delighted.
“Master, it’s you! Please come in quickly.”
Saying this, she stepped forward and opened the window.
Lotus Sect Leader climbed in through the window and then casually sat on a chair.
Princess Zhao Ning stepped forward and bowed. “Your disciple Jing Feng greets Master.”
Lotus Sect Leader nodded. “Princess, I have come to ask for your help with something.”
“Please, Master, just command me. As long as your disciple can do it.”